Sleeping with your partner in the albergue

[JustOneGuy]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

 

[TravellingMan22]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

You just book two people in a mixed dorm if I understand you correctly. Same price. If you check in together you are highly likely to be in same dorm.

 

[dougfitz]

My wife and I never stayed in places with segregated dorms. I was not even aware that they existed, but someone might know. We preferred to have a bunk to ourselves, but where all the bottom beds had already been taken, we would have top beds on separate bunks. When there was one available in an albergue, we would book into a private room. Otherwise, we would book into a hotel, B&B or the like.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Yes loads of hostels have sex segregated dorms. Not so common on Camino but in cities it is very common even in Europe. I would say >50% of hostels. Many offer mixed and female only. Some parts of world stricter than others and don’t offer mixed but male and female.

 

[dougfitz]

Yes loads of hostels have sex segregated dorms. Not so common on Camino but in cities it is very common even in Europe. Many offer mixed and female only. Some parts of world stricter than others and don’t offer mixed.

I should have been more precise. I was thinking of this in the context of Spanish and Portuguese albergues. I am aware that segregated arrangements exist elsewhere.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I should have been more precise. I was thinking of this in the context of Spanish and Portuguese albergues. I am aware that segregated arrangements exist elsewhere.

Ah sorry!! Certainly pretty sure segregated dorms plentiful in the cities in those countries but not seen too many on Camino!

 

[Former member 115996]

do the "real" thing

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

 

[dougfitz]

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

I cannot think of any response to this that isn't going to make me look like a boring, stuffy old fuddy duddy!

 

[kelleymac]

I never saw a segregated albergue. -- Before I walked my first camino, I was a bit concerned about the hostel culture, having had experience of craziness in Harare and other spots many decades ago-- and I was walking with my 13 yo son. But it's pretty quiet. I didn't hear any um.. "real thing" going on at all. Nor did I see much drunken carousing. Over all, people are pretty quiet and tired. If you are looking for a place to canoodle you can get a private room somewhere I suppose. Hotels abound!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I never saw a segregated albergue. -- Before I walked my first camino, I was a bit concerned about the hostel culture, having had experience of craziness in Harare and other spots many decades ago-- and I was walking with my 13 yo son. But it's pretty quiet. I didn't hear any um.. "real thing" going on at all. Nor did I see much drunken carousing. Over all, people are pretty quiet and tired. If you are looking for a place to canoodle you can get a private room somewhere I suppose. Hotels abound!

Yes I am struggling to remember any segregated albergues on Camino. Non Camino hostels in towns and cities are a totally different breed to the ones on camino. Anything can and often does happen! Camino Hostels are very civilised by comparison! I had someone be sick over my clothes and leg in Mexico City once!! Sorry I know it’s breakfast time on the east coast.

 

[JustOneGuy]

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

no, let me clarify.

By “real thing” I meant doing a Camino frugally, aka sleeping in Albergues, not in (expensive) hotel. We can do that “real thing” easily and more comfortably at home.

 

[camino07]

In all of my many Caminos I cant remember ever seeing a segregated Albergue. Shower rooms yes .

 

[J Willhaus]

Although it is not our practice, in at least one albergue where I have worked it was routine to house men in one dorm and women in another. While there, we did not assign beds that way and took more of a group or family approach assigning groups (couples, friends, etc) in bunks together.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Slight tangent but I stayed in an albergue last week that saved lower bunks for those over 50! It’s great when local managers implement those type of working practices locally (where practical).

 

[JustOneGuy]

Funny: when I was a child I remember there was always a race to “conquer” the top bunk on school trips.

I would still prefer it, I guess. Am I the only one?

 

[Lindsay53]

Funny: when I was a child I remember there was always a race to “conquer” the top bunk on school trips.

I would still prefer it, I guess. Am I the only one?

Had this conversation in an albergue last year. When we were kids the top bunk was the ultimate prize!

 

[caminka]

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

Thin walls of many pensiónes, hostales or hoteles (and not only on the camino) only help with the 'no seeing' aspect of the ''real'' thing, they don't help at all with the 'not hearing' one.

 

[Former member 115996]

Funny: when I was a child I remember there was always a race to “conquer” the top bunk on school trips.

I would still prefer it, I guess. Am I the only one?

It's a good idea to leave the bottom bunk for pilgrims who sneak their dogs into the albergue (not such a rare occurrence)
Poor thing has a hard time getting up to the top bunk!

 

[JustOneGuy]

Thin walls of many pensiónes, hostales or hoteles (and not only on the camino) only help with the 'no seeing' aspect of the ''real'' thing, they don't help at all with the 'not hearing' one.

please note my post #11. There has been a misunderstanding about what I meant with the "real thing"...

 

[caminka]

please note my comment #11. There has been a misunderstanding about what I meant with the "real thing"...

we understand. we are just having a bit of fun. perhaps I should have put a sleepless emoji next to my post.

 

[edandjoan]

We like to share a bunk. One night I get top and the next night my husband (pun intended) . About every 5-6 night we would book a boutique hotel in the larger towns.
They only place we have been that had separate rooms for men and women was in Israel. And that was fine and we both meet great people.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thin walls of many pensiónes, hostales or hoteles (and not only on the camino) only help with the 'no seeing' aspect of the ''real'' thing, they don't help at all with the 'not hearing' one.

No worries! Some of us had a good laugh anyway!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I cannot think of any response to this that isn't going to make me look like a boring, stuffy old fuddy duddy!

You? No way!

 

[Tincatinker]

Albergue del convento de las Carbajalas in Leon offers separate dorms for men and women and a separate dorm for “couples”.

 

[Bala]

In 2018 I stayed with the Benedictine nuns at Santa Maria albergue in Leon and we were separated in male and female sections. It was basically one huge room with a partition halfway down - men by the entrance side, ladies further down. I guess so the guys wouldn't see us in our PJs on the way to the shower (although we walked right through their section coming and going).

No idea of thet still do this. Anyone been there lately? Their website says nothing, but I have some vague idea I was aware of this before I checked in.

 

[Bala]

Albergue del convento de las Carbajalas in Leon offers separate dorms for men and women and a separate dorm for “couples”.

Beat be to it.

 

[MariaC]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

You can get a private room in an albergue or we have also took a 4 person room (say it was 15/person, we paid 60 and got the room for a good nights sleep when needed.

 

[JustOneGuy]

You can get a private room in an albergue or we have also took a 4 person room (say it was 15/person, we paid 60 and got the room for a good nights sleep when needed.

Thank you! I am surprised that with the shortage of places they allow it.

 

[MesaWalker]

Walking the Via de la Plata last fall, we experienced st least two albergues where men and women's rooms were separated. Two others permitted us to be in the same room after we confirmed we were married - I think we would have been in separate rooms had we given a different answer. So it may vary by route.

 

[JustOneGuy]

Walking the Via de la Plata last fall, we experienced st least two albergues where men and women's rooms were separated. Two others permitted us to be in the same room after we confirmed we were married - I think we would have been in separate rooms had we given a different answer. So it may vary by route.

that's interesting. How did you confirmed that? Just declaring it?

 

[dbeatriceb]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

I have stayed in albergues where women and men are required to sleep in separate dorms, married or not, didn’t matter. It’s up to the albergue to make the rules. If it’s not your preference, there are always other places to stay.

 

[Obilix]

My partner and I always ended up being put in the same dorm room whenever we arrived at an albergue together. Didn't pay more, and it was no more complicated to sort out than when I'd walked a previous Camino solo. We ended up staying in a mix of dorms and private rooms over the course of our Camino together, depending on what was available and how little sleep we'd got due to snorers etc the night before!

 

[MesaWalker]

that's interesting. How did you confirmed that? Just declaring it?

They just took our word for it. We were both wearing rings on our left ring fingers, so I don't know if that helped convince them we were telling the truth. Those were in parroquial albergues.

 

[patriciafross]

I am solo on the CF right now but intermittently have walked with many couples. They are often in the same Albergue that I am in and I’m sleeping in the dorm and they in a private room. You will have many options! Buen Camino.

 

[JustOneGuy]

They just took our word for it. We were both wearing rings on our left ring fingers, so I don't know if that helped convince them we were telling the truth. Those were in parroquial albergues.

ops... we don't wear rings! The paradoxical thing if they will ever deny it, is that on the night of our wedding my wife and I slept in a hostel...

We married in NZ, actually, in total solitude: just the Justice of Peace and her daughter-in-law serving as witness. Then, on the night of our wedding, celebrated in a little cove near Christchurch, NZ, we went to sleep in a... YHA hostel near Akaroa. That hostel was more beautiful to us than a five-star hotel. We had a room to ourselves, two floors, with a bathroom and a wonderful view of the bay in front.

It was a wonderful experience. No wedding preparation stress, and no money thrown out the window. We are still together 42 years after we started our relation.

 

[MesaWalker]

ops... we don't wear rings! The paradoxical thing if they will eveer deny it, is that on the night of our wedding my wife and I slept in a hostel...

We married in NZ, actually, in total solitude: just the Justice of the Peace and her daughter-in-law serving as witness. Then, on the night of our wedding, celebrated in a little cove near Christchurch, NZ, we went to sleep in a... YHA hostel near Akaroa. That hostel was more beautiful to us than a five-star hotel. We had a room to ourselves, two floors, with a bathroom and a wonderful view of the bay in front.

It was a wonderful experience. No wedding preparation stress, and no money thrown out the window. We are still together 42 years after we started our relation.

Fantastic! I doubt the rings made a difference, and you could always explain as you did in your post. And sleeping in separate rooms if it ever comes up is really not a big deal. It's not like you're confined to the room for very much waking time - you just sleep and shower there.

 

[André Walker]

I cannot think of any response to this that isn't going to make me look like a boring, stuffy old fuddy duddy!

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

I agree with Dougfitz on this: I'd like to stay away from replies on this subject, other than it reminds of booking a flight by phone a number of years ago. They'd ask inappropriate questions.

"What's your name?"
André Walker
"Smoking or non-smoking?"
Non-smoking please
"Sex?"
No, thank you

 

[trecile]

I've stayed in albergues that have somewhat segregated dorms, but if they run out of room in one or the other they end up mixed.

The donativo in Ponferrada had a women's only dorm, but it was already full when I arrived.

On the Norte the Albergue Izarbide had men's and women's dorms, but when I arrived with another peregrina only upper bunks were left in the women's dorm, while there were plenty of lower bunks in the men's, so we were give the choice of which one we wanted to sleep in.

 

[Paladina]

Funny: when I was a child I remember there was always a race to “conquer” the top bunk on school trips.

I would still prefer it, I guess. Am I the only one?

No, you’re not. Having witnessed the partial collapse of the top bunk in an Irish hostel when a hefty, visibly and audibly inebriated pilgrim was trying to roll into it, I’d rather cede the right to the bottom bunk to anyone heavier than I am.

 

[C clearly]

I have been in many albergues where the hospi and/or pilgrims agree that one room will be for women and another for men. It usually seems like an informal policy, which would change if appropriate.

I am surprised that with the shortage of places they allow it

The bed shortage is localized and season-dependent, rather than being a general/widespread situation. Each albergue manages their beds as appropriate.

 

[msconduct10]

Slight tangent but I stayed in an albergue last week that saved lower bunks for those over 50! It’s great when local managers implement those type of working practices locally (where practical).

Lol I like this as I’ll be turning 50 on my Camino next year. Like moving your graduation cap tassel to the other side, I get to move from the top bunk to the bottom.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have only experienced one segregated dorm on any of my Caminos and it was on the Norte in 2016 at the Izarbide Aterpetxea.

Also on the Camino Frances, one municipal albergue had assigned bunks and they were pushed together two by two like a matrimonial bed. I was next to a single gal. When very few other people showed up and the hospitalera left, the few of us staying moved to separate beds since we had our own sleeping bags anyway and the dorm was mostly empty. It would have been rather awkward sleeping next to a stranger who was a man if all other beds were full.

 

[barryfr]

In albergues, I always slept on top -- that is I was in the top bunk and my wife was in the bottom bunk. A few albergues have private rooms that cost just a few euros more than two beds in a dorm, and we took advantage of some of those; the privacy is great, but you miss out on the communal feeling of sharing a space with friends you have made along the way. The only times we slept in the same bed were the few times we stayed in a hotel or AirBnB.

 

[JerryStroebele]

At a well known private albergue in Arzua I asked for a bottom bunk, cama baja. I was in my mid 70s and experiencing mobility issues. I was told no, we assign in order of arrival - bottom, then top then bottom then top, you are top. I asked for my money back. I got one of the many cama bajas still available (in the mixed dorm). Buen Camino

 

[AchimBerlin]

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

Well, where there‘s a will, there‘s a way.
I remember 2 years ago in Roncesvalles (180 beds in three large dorms with cubicles), two separate sources told me that they had been kept awake in the same dorm by certain noises…
Get a „cama para dos“ I would say.

 

[mattythedog]

I never saw a segregated albergue. -- Before I walked my first camino, I was a bit concerned about the hostel culture, having had experience of craziness in Harare and other spots many decades ago-- and I was walking with my 13 yo son. But it's pretty quiet. I didn't hear any um.. "real thing" going on at all. Nor did I see much drunken carousing. Over all, people are pretty quiet and tired. If you are looking for a place to canoodle you can get a private room somewhere I suppose. Hotels abound!

Santa Clara in Sahagun is segregated. They do have a double room, maybe it is not.

 

[geot]

In 2018 I stayed with the Benedictine nuns at Santa Maria albergue in Leon and we were separated in male and female sections. It was basically one huge room with a partition halfway down - men by the entrance side, ladies further down. I guess so the guys wouldn't see us in our PJs on the way to the shower (although we walked right through their section coming and going).

No idea of thet still do this. Anyone been there lately? Their website says nothing, but I have some vague idea I was aware of this before I checked in.

When my wife and I passed through Leon last spring, we read on Gronze that sleeping accommodations there were still segregated and chose a different albergue. So yes, they still do apparently.

 

[ScouseKeith]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

Hi pilgrim
You will find there are plenty of albergues that offer private rooms ideal for couples, I’ve used them many times when I want a quiet place to sleep and they are much cheaper than hotels. Google them and see which ones have them. Because they are a bit more expensive than single beds they tend not to be picked by pilgrims. Keith

 

[Paladina]

I have only experienced one segregated dorm on any of my Caminos and it was on the Norte in 2016 at the Izarbide Aterpetxea.

Also on the Camino Frances, one municipal albergue had assigned bunks and they were pushed together two by two like a matrimonial bed. I was next to a single gal. When very few other people showed up and the hospitalera left, the few of us staying moved to separate beds since we had our own sleeping bags anyway and the dorm was mostly empty. It would have been rather awkward sleeping next to a stranger who was a man if all other beds were full.

I have also experienced the beds pushed together, enforcing an intimacy that few would relish. Worse than this, however, were the last two bed spaces in SJPdP that my peregrino friend and l secured on my first camino. They turned out to comprise the lower section of a one-up two-down family bunk bed. While this arrangement might well suit the OP and partner, it proved a source of discomfort for us, a pair of pilgrims who were not partners, and a source of amusement to the occupant of the upper bunk who soon intuited our embarrassment.

 

[MickMac]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

Think of the person in the albergue bottom bunk, I had some nightmare experiences over the years.

 

[MariaC]

Thank you! I am surprised that with the shortage of places they allow it.

There was no shortage. An empty 4 bed room next door

 

[DLJ]

Think of the person in the albergue bottom bunk, I had some nightmare experiences over the years.

It had been a longer than normal day in the rain when we arrived at a municipal albergue, the only option in the small village. The entry of the alberque was filled with about 15 other dripping wet Pilgrims, but the Hospitalera noticed us; asking are you a couple? Yes, I said, and she said I have a cama matrimonial for you, follow me. I couldn't believe it an albergue with a double bed (cama matrimonial is literally a wedding bed.) So we followed her upstairs, where they pulled two of the bunkbeds together, and the Hospitalera said, my wife and I had the bottom two beds. We spent the night in our wedding bed, sharing the room with seven men and 4 women.

Usually, I had the upper and my wife had the lower bunk. Yes, you pay for each person. In all the alberques that we have stayed in we always shared the same bunkbed.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Thankfully, my wife always takes the top bunk and lets me have the bottom. Ditto when I walk with my daughter or my son in law. It's a Buen Camino for an old guy.

 

[JCLima]

Funny: when I was a child I remember there was always a race to “conquer” the top bunk on school trips.

I would still prefer it, I guess. Am I the only one?

I never liked the top bunk, even as a child... I have an irrational fear of falling from it
I rather sleep on the floor

 

[NiniSum]

Looks like you are planning a 2025 Camino Primitivo - there are lots of places that accommodate couples in both private rooms and within the communal areas. Bodenaya, 7 kms past Salas, is wonderful and has a room with 2 twin beds and a door. Alison prepares a communal dinner and there is lots of information provided about what to expect for the following stages. Casa Pascual (@alberguecasapascual) in El Espin just before Borres also provides a communal meal, and the dorm room has single beds, 1 bunk bed and 1 double bed. And a place not to miss is halfway between O Cádavo and Lugo: A Pocina de Muniz in Vilar de Cas. They have bunk cubicles, and double, triple and quadruple rooms. I am sure there are many more - these are just a few recommendations.

 

[KFH]

Well, where there‘s a will, there‘s a way.
I remember 2 years ago in Roncesvalles (180 beds in three large dorms with cubicles), two separate sources told me that they had been kept awake in the same dorm by certain noises…
Get a „cama para dos“ I would say.

Such rudeness. They've been away from a private room for probably two nights and can't resist their urges.
It's weird to me that people would even think of doing that in such circumstances. Maybe it's a "thing", i.e., some low-level accomplishment I didn't know about, like having sex on a plane?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thankfully, my wife always takes the top bunk and lets me have the bottom. Ditto when I walk with my daughter or my son in law. It's a Buen Camino for an old guy.

When I go on Camino with my son and we are staying in an albergue(less often than in the past), if we cannot get side by side bottom bunks, he always takes the top and well he should, being a generation younger than me.

 

[KFH]

I never liked the top bunk, even as a child... I have an irrational fear of falling from it
I rather sleep on the floor

It's not irrational. When I was a boy I had a friend who fell out of the top bunk while sleeping and broke his arm.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I have long been of the view that hostels should charge a premium for lower bunks (says 25%) as they are clearly hugely in demand. It would obviously add some logistical issues and would have to be ‘whilst stocks last’ but am surprised no one does this!

 

[JustOneGuy]

It's not irrational. When I was a boy I had a friend who fell out of the top bunk while sleeping and broke his arm.

from https://www.monash.edu/muarc/archive/our-publications/reports/muarc123:

It is estimated that, in Australia, there are at least 3,850 injuries annually, in the under fifteen age-group, associated with bunk beds, that are treated by hospital Emergency Departments or by general practitioners. Of these, it is estimated that about 390 cases result in hospital admission. Almost half of all bunk bed injury cases occur (1900) in the 5-9 year age group and, of these, at least 180 result in hospital admission.

from https://www.duffyfirm.com/blog/bunk-bed-recalls-and-injuries-the-stats#:~:text=On average, there are 36,000,kids ages 6 and under. instead:

On average, there are 36,000 reported injuries annually related to bunk beds. Note - those are just the ones reported. Three-quarters of children who fall from bunk beds are hurt, and half of all injuries occur with kids ages 6 and under. Students aged 18-21 also make up a large portion.

 

[dbier]

Of the six private albergues I stayed in on the Primitivo (Sep 23), all were co-ed. Couples got a top and a bottom bunk if one was available.

I always got bottom bunk, either because I arrived early ( short day) or the hospitalero/a took one look at my sorry, dragging, limping backside and gave me a bottom bunk. (I was 62 at the time, but I am overweight with less than 30% gray hair, so don't always look it).

But I'm going to challenge the OP on one comment. If OP and partner want to sleep in albergues to save money, more than fine. I did. If OP and partner want as communal an experience as humanly possible, then more than fine - although I think OP better have a real long talk with his partner about expectations before they come. My husband knows that continuous communal living drives his introvert wife insane in short order.

But sleeping in albergues to " do the real thing?" That’s not required. A "real" Camino will be defined by your intention, not by where you sleep.

Buen Camino, however you choose.

 

[Carlita416]

I believe Bristol was gender segregated as well as the donativo in Foncebaddon and the monastery in Sahugun

 

[Carlita416]

Also … I can’t remember the name of the akbergue but I only saw a sign at registration saying one person per bed!

 

[trecile]

But I'm going to challenge the OP on one comment. If OP and partner want to sleep in albergues to save money, more than fine. I did. If OP and partner want as communal an experience as humanly possible, then more than fine - although I think OP better have a real long talk with his partner about expectations before they come. My husband knows that continuous communal living drives his introvert wife insane in short order.

But sleeping in albergues to " do the real thing?" That’s not required. A "real" Camino will be defined by your intention, not by where you sleep.

Absolutely!

Plus, the amount of money saved vs a private room for two is often negligible.

 

[JerryStroebele]

On my first Camino I saw a young couple in a lower bunk together. It was a narrow bed but they fit in it just fine. Next morning a fellow peregrino said they did more than just fit. I have poor hearing and slept through it. I have not seen any bed sharing since. I read a Camino memoir that called "it" "bonking in the bunks." Buen Camino

 

[dreaming]

Last October on CF, I stayed in an albergue with round swimming pool just on entering the town. It had a restaurant attached. Males and females had a different room. I remember how hilarious it was when we saw a rat scamper across the floor and the staff went looking for it with no luck. The other albergue that was segregated was run by nuns. The nun was strict on check-in however later was prancing up the corridor to loud classical music.
I did prefer segregated dorm rooms. It seemed safer and gentle for some obscure reason.

 

[camino07]

I've stayed in albergues that have somewhat segregated dorms, but if they run out of room in one or the other they end up mixed.

The donativo in Ponferrada had a women's only dorm, but it was already full when I arrived.

On the Norte the Albergue Izarbide had men's and women's dorms, but when I arrived with another peregrina only upper bunks were left in the women's dorm, while there were plenty of lower bunks in the men's, so we were give the choice of which one we wanted to sleep in.

Forgot about that one. I've been lucky enough to be in the women's room four times there. Occasionally there is a benefit to being old.

 

[Joynz]

Slight tangent but I stayed in an albergue last week that saved lower bunks for those over 50! It’s great when local managers implement those type of working practices locally (where practical).

I tend to think that a person who can walk 800km is very likely to be able to get into a top bunk. I don’t like top bunks - but only because there is often nowhere to put a phone or glasses etc. (I stayed in a hostel in Cairo last year where there were ‘stairs’ (a ladder with flat ‘steps’) to the top bunk, rather than a vertical ladder with those foot-hurting rungs. Fabulous!)

(I overheard a young woman on the French Camino last year saying somewhat wistfully to another that they were probably going to have to get used to being in the upper bunk during their trip…)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

there were ‘stairs’ (a ladder with flat ‘steps’) to the top bunk, rather than a vertical ladder with those foot-hurting rungs. Fabulous!)

The rungs to the top bunks were pure torture on my feet. Thankfully I didn't have to climb them too often.

 

[David Tallan]

The problem with many couples is that when they decide to share a bed in albergues, they can't do the "real" thing quietly. Or maybe they think they're doing it quietly, but in fact everyone in the albergue can hear it.

Perhaps you missed this bit?

(in separate bunk beds, of course!)

 

[David Tallan]

In 2018 I stayed with the Benedictine nuns at Santa Maria albergue in Leon and we were separated in male and female sections. It was basically one huge room with a partition halfway down - men by the entrance side, ladies further down. I guess so the guys wouldn't see us in our PJs on the way to the shower (although we walked right through their section coming and going).

No idea of thet still do this. Anyone been there lately? Their website says nothing, but I have some vague idea I was aware of this before I checked in.

They were still doing it last year.

 

[David Tallan]

I tend to think that a person who can walk 800km is very likely to be able to get into a top bunk. I don’t like top bunks - but only because there is often nowhere to put a phone or glasses etc. (I stayed in a hostel in Cairo last year where there were ‘stairs’ (a ladder with flat ‘steps’) to the top bunk, rather than a vertical ladder with those foot-hurting rungs. Fabulous!)

(I overheard a young woman on the French Camino last year saying somewhat wistfully to another that they were probably going to have to get used to being in the upper bunk during their trip…)

In general, some people who are quite happy walking long distances in good shoes have challenges with the ladder rungs in bare feet or socks, or have challenges in climbing down from the top bunk and positioning themselves to do so, or have challenges doing both quietly in a way that won't disturb others if they have to get up in the middle of the night (multiple times for some people) in order to use the washroom. What we tend to think doesn't always match everyone's lived reality.

 

[TravellingMan22]

In general, some people who are quite happy walking long distances in good shoes have challenges with the ladder rungs in bare feet or socks, or have challenges in climbing down from the top bunk and positioning themselves to do so, or have challenges doing both quietly in a way that won't disturb others if they have to get up in the middle of the night (multiple times for some people) in order to use the washroom. What we tend to think doesn't always match everyone's lived reality.

Yes that’s exactly me. I am generally ok with 800km at 30km a day, but up and down a ladder is quite tricky. Mixture of an arm/rib issue, coming down and lowering one leg down and landing on it (physically painful and psychology an issue) and so on. Even though I have good balance and coordination, the only Camino injuries I have had thus far have been bruised shins from going up and down top bunks! That’s before waking up the person below! Oh, and the painful feet on the rungs!

Stayed in a hostel last Xmas in Thailand that had ‘proper stairs’ up to the top bunk. They kind of wrapped round like a spiral staircase. I tried to swap my lower to an upper but in vain!

 

[kelleymac]

When my wife and I passed through Leon last spring, we read on Gronze that sleeping accommodations there were still segregated and chose a different albergue. So yes, they still do apparently.

I stayed with them during holy week in 2017, we were not segregated, but I think they had opened a spare room in the basement. I helped clear out stuff so we could get to the bunks.

 

[dougfitz]

I tend to think that a person who can walk 800km is very likely to be able to get into a top bunk.

I would have agreed with this when I walked my first camino nearly 15 years ago, and perhaps even five years ago I would not have had too much difficulty, albeit I might have needed to use the toilet at least once during the night. But somehow over the last couple of years, I have had greater difficulty, and this year I gave up trying to get into the top bunk at one place. Fortunately, there was a couch available that I was able to repurpose as a bed.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Of course when we were young the top bunk was fun. In my overcrowded college dorm the bunks were stacked 3 high. I gladly took the top. At age 69, on my first Camino, in Pasaje I was assigned a top bunk in the dorm room full of women even though none of the beds in the next room had been assigned. To my surprise, getting out of the top bunk in the morning, I pulled the whole bunk bed over on top of me. Very embarrassing but no one was hurt. The last time I agreed to a top bunk, in the muni in Arzua, the bunks were pushed right up against each other, side by side. My upper bunk "partner" was an Italian cyclist who vigorously rubbed a powerfully ungent gel on his legs for an hour. Our bunks banged and swayed. I have a gift for falling asleep quickly. I had walked 30 km that day but could not sleep for that hour. No more top bunks. Buen Camino

 

[dreaming]

I can easily walk 800k with 30k days but no top bunks for me. As a 70 year old female I have only had one top bunk in 3 caminos and it wasn't good. I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and being short I have great difficulty and pain on those rungs getting down the ladder. I would walk further or stay in a hotel rather than a top bunk.

 

[Kathy F.]

no, let me clarify.

By “real thing” I meant doing a Camino frugally, aka sleeping in Albergues, not in (expensive) hotel. We can do that “real thing” easily and more comfortably at home.

Nice recovery.
But I don’t believe you for a minute (wink wink).

 

[isobelmtl]

Yes I am struggling to remember any segregated albergues on Camino. Non Camino hostels in towns and cities are a totally different breed to the ones on camino. Anything can and often does happen! Camino Hostels are very civilised by comparison! I had someone be sick over my clothes and leg in Mexico City once!! Sorry I know it’s breakfast time on the east coast.

The Albergue of San Nicolas Flue in Ponferrada has a smallish segregated women’s’ dorm with shower, toilet etc. about 20 places if I remember well. It fills up really fast !

 

[MarkN]

In 2018 I stayed with the Benedictine nuns at Santa Maria albergue in Leon and we were separated in male and female sections. It was basically one huge room with a partition halfway down - men by the entrance side, ladies further down. I guess so the guys wouldn't see us in our PJs on the way to the shower (although we walked right through their section coming and going).

No idea of thet still do this. Anyone been there lately? Their website says nothing, but I have some vague idea I was aware of this before I checked in.

Haha my first Camino I started in Leon at this alberge. I met my wife who started in France. When we signed in we said we were married. After the nun checked that our last names matched on our passports she said we could stay in the 'matrimonial section'. We were wondering what that was and excited to see. Just to find it's tje area all the way down the hallway, same as the other areas, but with married couples in the same bunk beds.

 

[WanderingScot]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

The first line of your question suggests that this doesn’t apply to same sex couples for some reason?

 

[Thornley]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

Just go for a walk.
Play it by ear , if they are bunks get one above the other.
Since 2008 the quality of rooms and sleeping has improved remarkably.

I'm a MMDD guy , suggest you buy.
Have a great Camino and stop worrying , leave that at home, it will work out beautifully.
And continue onto Muxia

 

[Lurch]

In 2018 I stayed with the Benedictine nuns at Santa Maria albergue in Leon and we were separated in male and female sections. It was basically one huge room with a partition halfway down - men by the entrance side, ladies further down. I guess so the guys wouldn't see us in our PJs on the way to the shower (although we walked right through their section coming and going).

No idea of thet still do this. Anyone been there lately? Their website says nothing, but I have some vague idea I was aware of this before I checked in.

I was there in April, still that way. Not many pilgrims there, thoughts . I paid an euro more and had a smaller room, larger bed. Turns out I was the only occupant.

 

[Lurch]

I tend to think that a person who can walk 800km is very likely to be able to get into a top bunk. I don’t like top bunks - but only because there is often nowhere to put a phone or glasses etc. (I stayed in a hostel in Cairo last year where there were ‘stairs’ (a ladder with flat ‘steps’) to the top bunk, rather than a vertical ladder with those foot-hurting rungs. Fabulous!)

(I overheard a young woman on the French Camino last year saying somewhat wistfully to another that they were probably going to have to get used to being in the upper bunk during their trip…)

And how old are you? I finished the last 200 miles of the Frances in April at 79. Getting into a top bunk is not always that easy!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Shower rooms yes .

So this one time I was taking a shower at the muni in O'Ceb. The thing about that place is the signage can be confusing, and it is "locker room" style, meaning no stalls just rows of shower heads. I was alone for a bit and then this woman walks in, takes off her clothes, and proceeds to cleanse about two shower heads down from me. I looked at her, she looked at me, and neither of us gave a sh*t.

 

[alhartman]

Most of my "Albergue life" shocks are quite dated--from 2005.
The full air-hanger in Roncevalles with 3 of 4 male showers working.
A mandatory gender based dorms in Leon (with a mandatory 7am exit time--and lockdown at 2100)
A very primitive Albergue in Santa Catalina (no hot water, no heat, no electricity)
A fully open communal shower at Ave Fenix (they also had a snorers room to self isolate)
A communal shower in Poblacion--individual stalls, common dressing area)
Sleep on floor overflow in OCebrerio (finally used that carried mat)
Bunks pushed into double bed style shared with a fellow garlic breathed pilgrim (we switched to head to feet. Park just outside Burgos.
All were great camino experiences. And at the time, no way to avoid as the only real p;anning tool was Brierley.
And I am grateful that I never had the struggle of 'finding the best albergue' Part of what made that Camino so wonderful.
My lesson: Accept and adapt.

 

[nickyvee]

no, let me clarify.

By “real thing” I meant doing a Camino frugally, aka sleeping in Albergues, not in (expensive) hotel. We can do that “real thing” easily and more comfortably at home.

or in the forest trails

 

[JustOneGuy]

The first line of your question suggests that this doesn’t apply to same sex couples for some reason?

Correct.

 

[isobelmtl]

And how old are you? I finished the last 200 miles of the Frances in April at 79. Getting into a top bunk is not always that easy!

No! It’s not just the climbing for me… at 76 but rather the trips to the loo in the early hours that make a lower bunk mandatory

 

[trecile]

The first line of your question suggests that this doesn’t apply to same sex couples for some reason?

I think that @JustOneGuy thought that perhaps all of the dorms were segregated by sex in the albergues. In that situation a same sex couple would automatically be put in the same room, but a hetero couple would not. But, since sex-segregated dorms are rare, it's really not an issue.

 

[WGroleau]

I never saw a segregated albergue. -

We would start out putting males and females in separate rooms, but most days, we were too full to keep it that way. Plus, we would give up on the idea when a mixed group showed up, as they generally would prefer not to be split up.

In Viana the night I was there, males and females were at opposite ends of the hall. But ironically, in the bathroom in the middle of the hall, the shower with a broken door was in full view of the hallway door!

 

[WGroleau]

My husband knows that continuous communal living drives his introvert wife insane in short order.

I guess a married person would (or should) know their spouse's personality. I'm an introvert who was never bothered by night after night in albergues/hostels.

 

[JustOneGuy]

My partner/wife is a... "fake extrovert" but quite shy, that is the main reason I asked this...

 

[dbier]

Then talk with her.

I'm forgetting which route you chose, but If you stay "on stage", especially in the (many) little pueblos/ aldeas, you'll meet anyone you want to for chores, dinner and socializing (because there's only one or two places to eat) without having to share two bunks in a mixed bunkroom. Of the 6 private albergues I stayed in on the Primitivo, none had curtains around the bunks. I hear there are curtains/pods in others...I just wasn't in any of them.

Or, get a two or 4 bed room in those albergues that have them, tho, as Trecile noted, the price of two bunks in a muni/xunta comes close to a low end two bed private room.

To me, do a full up albergue experience if you love shopping and cooking (if utensils are present) or if the albergue offers communal dinner, bearing in mind that many don't.

 

[Liica]

A question for couples of different sexes: do you sleep separately in the albergues? Do you pay more, and/or is it more complicated to book, to sleep in the same dorm (in separate bunk beds, of course!), with your partner?

Obviously we could choose to go to a hotel, but in the spring we would like to do our first Camino and my partner is a bit perplexed at the idea of sleeping in albergues for this, but at the same time we like to be frugal and do the "real" thing.

In Italy for example, there are albergues with separated bedrooms for man and woman.
But I never heard about it in Spain, although I just slept in 2 of them and both had mixed gender bedrooms.

 

[diesel]

I have encountered a small number of sex segregated dorms in some albergues on the Frances but they were the minority. Some put males and females in different dorms, but allowed families to be in the same dorm. These included the municipal albergues in Estella and Navarette.
In fact, when I was travelling the Frances with my 12 yo son the albergue in Estella allocated us an enclosed sub area in the male dorm because I was travelling with a child.
I recall from a few written accounts that there was one or two albergues operated by religous orders or monasteries that also segregated.
In the main however I have generally been able to co-habit in a dorm with my travelling companions irrespective of sex.

 

[Moonchick]

Had this conversation in an albergue last year. When we were kids the top bunk was the ultimate prize!

When I walked with my 16yo and 19 yo daughters, the 16 yo hated the top bunk and I (mid 50’s) hated the bottom bunk. So we always chose that way, even if the host assigned us the opposite!